FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Feb. 11, 2016)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside softball squad opens the lid on the 2016 campaign this weekend, traveling up to Saint Cloud, Minnesota for a pair of doubleheaders inside the Husky Dome. The Rangers open the season on Friday with a twinbill against the University of Sioux Falls before facing host Saint Cloud State University on Saturday.
 
Friday's doubleheader against the Cougars begins at 5:30 p.m. while first pitch on Saturday is slated for 11 a.m. Live stats will be available for Saturday's doubleheader against St. Cloud State.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (7-36, 2-26 Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2015) returns its entire pitching staff from last year along with two of the squad's top three hitters from Head Coach Scott Wachholz's debut season. Courtney Ellingson was the top Ranger at the plate and in the circle, leading the team with a .362 batting average with 15 extra base hits and 23 RBIs. In the circle, Ellingson pitched a team-high 120 1/3 innings, striking out 80 and tossing 11 complete games. Also back on the pitching staff is Amber Ramos who led the team with a 2.90 earned run average, making one save and netting 68 strikeouts in just 50 2/3 innings of work while Carly Dundee tossed seven complete games and struck out 49 in 100 innings of action.
 
Offensively, Madison Manders is back after hitting .308 in 2015 with four home runs and 11 RBIs while Dundee hit at a .287 clip with nine extra base hits.
 
21 players dot the roster this season, including 11 returners. Of the 10 newcomers, four hail from the junior college ranks. Those from the JUCO ranks include Bridget Jost from Madison Collehe, Caressa DeRossett from Ohlone College (California) and Harper College teammates Sara Markelonis and Raegan Fingerman.
 
Highlighting last season for the Rangers was a 10-2 mercy rule win over Division I University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Apr. 1. The two squads will collide again this year, playing a doubleheader on Mar. 31 at the Case Complex.
 
About the Cougars: Sioux Falls (32-23, 15-15 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2015) opens its 2016 slate against the Rangers after having a record-setting 2015 campaign. Last season, the Cougars advanced to the NSIC Tournament for the second consecutive year while collecting the most wins since joining NCAA Division II in 2011-2012. The Cougars placed fourth at the NSIC Tournament, winning a trio of games.
 
Returning for 2016 is reigning NSIC Newcomer of the Year Danielle Walker who hit .361 with 11 doubles and 10 home runs. Walker in addition to Breanna Black (2.95 earned run average with 83 strikeouts) were cited as NSIC "Players to Watch" while the team was picked to place fourth overall in the NSIC Coaches Poll.
 
About the Huskies: Saint Cloud State (4-0) already has four games under its belt, claiming a pair of doubleheaders against NAIA foe Dakota Wesleyan University last weekend inside the Husky Dome. The Huskies opened the season with a 13-2 win over Tigers on Feb. 5, piling on six runs in the fourth inning while edging out a 10-7 win in game two after pouring on eight runs in the third. The following day, SCSU needed 10 innings to etch out a 5-4 win with heads up baserunning allowing Tricia DeBoer to score from second base on a squeeze bunt. Game two saw St. Cloud rack up six runs in the bottom of the fifth to enact the mercy rule in an 11-3 win to close out the Dakota Wesleyan series.
 
Veronica Wold was on fire at the plate, owning a .556 batting average with four extra base hits and four RBIs. Alyssa Coletto sports a .533 average with a team-best eight base hits while Rebecca Harps owns a .500 average in 14 at-bats.
 
In the circle, Megan Hedstrom has seen the most action, tossing 11 2/3 innings last weekend with 10 strikeouts, allowing five earned runs, and was the pitcher of record for three of the four games.
 
Road Warriors: The Rangers will play 20 games prior to the home opener on Mar. 19 against GLVC rival Quincy University. UW-Parkside's road odyssey will involve game in four different states, logging indoor contests in both Minnesota and Illinois along with outdoor games in Missouri and Oklahoma.